Rodchester

Will: I know Matt Anderson and somehow I doubt he would consider himself one of the greats. Yes he kicks ass and climbs some tough ass shit. Yes he would smoke me. Others here would smoke me too. "I doubt Steve House has the time or really gives a shit what other people think, and most of the hard-asses are probably out there CLIMBING instead of wishing they were climbing." Now that hits the point. I guess it is because most of the posters, myself included, just aren't out there climbing...but we have time for posting. The point is that none of the well known climbers post here even though they live in the PNW. Judging by the amount of smearing I bet many wouldn't post here. Just trying to get some opinions..... (Phatty - you are actually great in my book)

Many of the great climbers live in the PNW and throw in the Montana-Wyoming area and we have an incredible amount of great climbers in a fairly small area. This site has become well known by many climbers in the PNW. But for some reason the greats never seem to post on this site. Does anyone know or wonder why no great climbers post on this page?

How about those genuine TNF pants being a leopord print inside and out?

Just go into the woodline and crash - out of sight out of mind

Bibs

-5 REI Downtime 700 fill with Dryloft. Best down bag on the market for the money. They now use REI elements (or some version of it) rather thatn the Dryloft. Light, compressible and 700 fill is good stuff.

OK: So it is quite clear from the many posts on the long thread about a slide show at TNF that most, or at least manny cc:ers are not fans of TNF. I do agree that TNF makes a lot of junk, but they do still make some good stuff. I do agree that their innovation has become one of gimmicks, and not practical application. I do agree that they market agreesivly toward the sidewalk mountaineering crowd. So...my question is this. What company doesn't? I know that ArcTeryx was very innovative initally, great fit and finish on thier soft goods...but they have been bropught out. Did the owner sell-out in the sense that the company is now a junk manufacturer run by capitalist pigs? How about Mountain H-wear? Their stuff just seems like a slighly heavier, more bulky TNF product. I mean the sleeping bags are just about cookie cutter to TNFs. I like Cloudveil, but you simply cannot convince me that the owner is in it only for the love of the game. Would he not sell out in a minute if the price was right? Who wouldn't want to retire and do nothing but climb and travel? If one is so anti marketing/captialistic what do you wear in the mountains? Patagonia? Come on man, is there a company more directly marketed to the yuppie sidewalk mountaineering crowd? (Patagucci) Sierra Designs? Marmot? Lowe Apline? Just thinking out loud....your thoughts?

So how did the cats like it?

I have found pickets placed properly are bomber. Especially placed horizontally. I think that the snow int eh PNW, Cascade Concrete, is generally better for pickets than in the Rockies. In fact I use 18 inch pickets in hard summer snow all the time. Placed vertical they rock and ould hold your mom. In winter I switch to the 24 inch. If the snow is solid and consolidated and they are placed right they will hold your mom and Wopper's mom....(Lovely Linda the webmaster for poponfarm.com).

Sick sick sick...post the picture will ya?

DPS: What did you think of the Ingals East Ridge Route? And I totally agree on the Mountaineers....god damn they take a beating on this site. Except to say they keep them herded tight so we can avoid them and they do GENERALLY climb safe.

Apline Tom is right...thyere would just be some other club formed and they would take the place of the Mounties. Yes they suck, but may actually help the situation by keeping the herd together and predictable. So we know how to avoid them.

Hey MVS, Kind of funny how Christine's post got sooo much slam and protest while yours got nothin. Anyway I can't make the show but sounds good...and I am sure you are not a sell out.

I use the Sileveretta 400s and like them.

As noted by others, the I-tent is for 6 foot and under...the Eldorado is longer...for the six foot and over crowd. I am 6 foot and have the I-tent. Tight but no problem. Also only get one door. The doors add way too much weight for the convience added. (Zippers are the heavy part) Bibler I-tent....it rocks!!!!

I have used two brands, Garuda and Bibler. The Garuda was all right, but the Bibler rocks. I own a Bibler I-Tent and it is the lightest strongest tent around (under 4 lbs.) Granted, it is small, but for the Cascades it rocks. It has ridden through a few mean storms and withstood some mean ass winds. I look at it this way. 1. If is raining that hard, I am on the barstool or heading down for the barstool. The majority of the climbs in the Cascades are close to a road and thus a barstool. So if it is raining/sleeting that hard, I either have not gone into the hills or I am on my way out. A little bit of condensation....so what. You get that in any tent. 2. The majority of the climbs in the Cascades are one or two nighters....so I don't need that much room. 3. I travel light...so I don't need that much room. 4. I travel light...so I don't want to haul around a TNF VE-25. (12 lbs.+, no thanks) 5. There is sooomuch less bulk as well saving space in the old rucksack. The only bad thing is that they are not cheap and very hard to even find on sale. Jules is right, the vestibules are seperate and even more money. The Garuda had a lot of condensation when compared to the Bibler. I have heard other say they do not like them...I love mine. [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Rodchester ] [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Rodchester ]

If you are a rock hound Cincy can be a good town. Red River Gorger is within 2 hours, and plenty of great rock all over west Virginia. Also GREAT white water boating. But it can be very boring if you are not. Welll there is always bowling in Cincinnati...oh god would life suck or what?

B-rock: The two day summit climb is a summit climb. It is like an amusement park ride designed to get you to the summit, not to teach you anything more than the required amount to get you to the summit. If you want to learn you need to take classes that focus on what you want to learn. Most of the schools offer 3-4-5 day courses that actually focus on learning, not on the summit. I recommend Mountain Madness. I have been on overseas trips with them to Africa and Peru and they run a good show. I also know many of the guides and they are very competant. Check out www.mountainmadness.com. Or call them and speak with John Farmer.

or a quick run up Hood the West Crater Variation is fun and fast and I did not see anyone on it. A short but fun steep section can be soloed easily. DPS: Please give some beta on the North Eraly Winter Spire route. Sounds cool.

You can take a course with one of the guide services. Mountain Madness or AAI. If your focus is on Mountaineering take one of the glacier mountaineering courses. Good Luck

KKS: Are you saying you are going to Ingraham flats just to find a crevase for crevase rescue training? Ingraham Flats is a bit of a trip for crevase drills...especially in winter. Fog is the last thing I would be concerned with that time of the year. I would simply find a nice steep drift in the paradise area and use that for training. There are plenty of large drifts that form steep walls that would make good simulations for crevase drills. If you must have a crevase try the Nisqually, but the vast majority of the crevases will be filed in that time of the year. If you stay low enough on the glacier and you go poking around you might find one....then again it might find you. Play it safe when in a class/teaching environment. If you are thinking about the summit you may want to check your route. Gib Ledges is the prefered winter route for various reasons...one of which is avalanche conditions on the Ingraham. So if you are looking for training...train in a more controlled environment. If you want to summit post for beta on Gob Ledges....good luck and climb safe.

Don't be making fun of Dave...he is a buckeye and his .99 cent menu has supported many a climbing roadtrip for me and my bros. We will miss you Dave.....99 cents forever!!!

I think I saw something on that on the Discovery Channel..about apes pounding their chest in a mateing gesture. I think the ape on the rope was trying to show his small dick to be much larger than it actually was in a vain attempt to become the Aplha mle and add this women to his group...which has no one in it. That would be my guess....did you get it on film? Discovery might pay some bucks for use in a documentary on primate mating.

I was waiting for Wopper to chime in.....the mounties done learned him well. Then he got out.

I am married to a chick who climbs...but is not a climber chick. If she doesn't want to go she doesn't....but she doesn't stop me either. With me it is more the other things that get in the way.....house stuff and job. Bowling leauge?....fucking spare me. Write his ass off. He is gone. Never to climb again. If you really want to climb you can even if you are married. The other just has to understand. I wouldn't blame her....it was his choice. Some people climb as a phase in their life, like going to college, when they are done they look back and say "hey, I climbed this or that." When they get it out of thier system they stop and move on to what ever they are doing now. I had a long term girl years agao that I was considering marrying. But she had that this is a phase thing going, now it was time to move to the burbs and breed. No thanks...I am out of here. Anyway...shit happens and they fall to the wayside one by one. Sucks, but true.